Kyle McClatchie’s putter warmed up on Tuesday in the second round of the Big Easy IGT Challenge Tour’s Chase to the Sunshine Tour #34 at ERPM Golf Club as his five-under-par 67 took him to the top of the leaderboard.

McClatchie made six birdies and a bogey to move to nine-under-par through 36 holes, and that gave him a one-stroke lead ahead of the final round over Leon Vorster and last week’s winner Michael Kok. Keelan van Wyk was in fourth on four-under, and Tumelo Molloyi and Jason Froneman shared fifth on three-under.

“I was hitting the ball very well again today, the same as yesterday,” said McClatchie, “and I’m pleased that my putter got hot, because that was the difference for me. I also played the par-fives better today, and made birdies on three of the four.”

His bogey came on the ninth, from what he says was his only bad shot of the day. “I hit my approach into the water,” said McClatchie, “and, in fact, I made a good up-and-down to drop only one shot there.”

He picked up birdies on four and five to turn in one-under 35 after the bogey on nine, and then birdies on 10, 13, 16 and 17 saw him home in four-under 32 and in the lead after the best round of the day from the field.

Vorster carded a four-under-par 68, with five birdies and a bogey on his card for the second-best round of the day together with Franklin Manchest who ended the day in seventh on two-under. Kok had a two-under 70 in his second round with an eagle, five birdies and five bogeys.

For McClatchie, it will be a quest for the same steady play in the final round if he is to win his third title for 2021.